CD Reviews

It will stand you up tall.

Allen Stairs | Takoma Park, MD United States | 04/27/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though she's only 34, Matraca (pronounced "mahTRAYzah") Berg has been in the music for fifteen years. She has three previous albums and a songwriting resumé that includes hits for such well-known singers as Suzy Bogguss, Deana Carter and Pam Tillis. For some reason, her own career as a performer has never really taken off. That is a real shame. Matraca Berg is _very_ good. Her lyrics are smart, her melodies strong and her voice southern sultry and well-seasoned. Berg can tell a story. "If I Were an Angel" is about a woman who followed the wrong man to the middle of nowhere where she waits tables and contemplates her destiny, caught between eternity and the next bus home. The rollicking title track puts us in the pew one Sunday next to Jimmy Miller, whose wife just left for Memphis in Jimmy's new car. The congregation -- a bit like God -- knows all and forgives all, not least themselves. And "Back in the Saddle" is in the raucous voice of a dude ranch refugee who meets a bow-legged hunk in a cowboy bar: "I can put you back in the saddle, baby/Yeah, stand you up tall." I believe she surely could. Perhaps the high point of the album is "Back When We Were Beautiful," a clear-eyed meditation on the soul-aches and ironies of growing old. The melody manages to be substantial and delicate all at once, and the accompaniment -- piano, two violas and a bowed bass -- is a sumptuous surprise. This is a fine and polished disk by a gifted artist. With any luck, it will help make Matraca Berg known as something more than just a writer of other singers' songs."

Songwriter never made it as a singer

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 04/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During the nineties, Matraca became one of the most successful songwriters in country music. This was one of her rare attempts to make it as a recording artist. Like her previous albums for RCA, this album is packed full of great song, superbly sung (at least to my ears) but American country radio stations weren't interested so, once again, Matraca failed to make that breakthrough. So she remained a songwriter, writing plenty of songs for others to have hits with. On this album, Matraca wrote one song alone and co-wrote the others. From the late eighties onwards, many country singers (mainly the women) have recorded Matraca's songs including Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, Linda Ronstadt, Deana Carter, Trisha Yearwood, Highway 101 (in their original line-up), Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss. George Strait had a huge hit with Chill of an early fall, one of the most notable successes by a male singer with one of Matraca's songs.Of the songs on this album, I know that Alecia Elliott recorded Some people fall some people fly and I expect that some of the others have also been covered by other singers. The songs here are a nice mix of different types of song - some are fun, some are serious, some are up-tempo, some are slow - but they are all wonderful. Perhaps the most touching song is Back when we were beautiful, in which an old widow discusses aging. The music is a nice blend of traditional and contemporary.It remains a mystery to me that Matraca never made it as a singer, but this album is of a very high quality - a real treat for country music fans."

Talent! Talent! Talent!

Judy O'Rourke | 02/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When we got her first album (Lying to the Moon) we were hooked! One of the very few artists that you never get tired of. She has a way with words that really strikes a cord with the everyday woman. There is a story in every song and you'll relate to at least one of them - in some way. And yes, my husband likes her music too! Why this lady isn't in the top all over the country - I'll never know. I highly recommend buying this if you want something for every mood in one little package. Talent, talent, talent!"